Fernando Alonso raises 'only question' about F1's radical 2026 rules overhaul

Fernando Alonso says the "only question" he has about F1's radical 2026 rules is how the art of overtaking will be impacted by the new breed of car.

Alonso is set to drive his seventh different generation of F1 car in 2026, with both the chassis and power units set to undergo major overhauls, including the introduction of active aerodynamics.

The power units are also set to feature nearly three times as much battery power as in 2025, with 350kw generated from the beefed-up systems. 

With the active aerodynamics, DRS, as it is known, will be abolished, with the front and rear wings moving to obtain the best possible performance with drivers having to balance deploying their energy stocks against attempting overtakes, something Alonso fears could leave drivers "paying the price."

"At the end of the day, the car, or the sport, remains basically the same," Alonso told media, including RacingNews365. 

"You race against the time-watch, and then race against your competitors. There is a different performance in the car, but maybe a bit less grip because, with the regulations, downforce will be lower. 

"The only question I have in my mind is just the overtaking possibilities. Driving the simulator and by reading the regulations, everyone is allowed to open the DRS on the straights, the car in front and the car behind.

"So there is not really a possibility to make the difference unless you use a lot of energy on the straights, but if you use that energy, you will pay the price on the following straights.

"Maybe you will get overtaken by the car you just overtook. If you attempt the overtaking manoeuvre, you will lose time being overtaken on the next straight, so maybe there is no incentive to make the pass because you will both lose time, but that is a first idea.

"I think until the cars hit the track, and we see really how much energy you need to spend per overtake, things like that are difficult to guess, and the biggest thing is the tyres.

"When we have three or four-stop races, the difference in tyre performance when you make a stop or whatever, you don't need energy or DRS, you make the pass immediately on the out-lap. 

"So the tyres will be the main topic to improve overtaking, if they a degrading and they are providing multiple stops."